Cheap Eats 2011: Little Big Burger

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Micah Camden, the seemingly tireless chef who has in the past five years
had a hand in the openings of Yakuza, Naomi Pomeroy’s Beast, DOC and
Fats, is often described as having a “restaurant empire.” The string of
eateries along Northeast 30th Avenue is really more of a fiefdom, but
with Little Big Burger, Camden and co-owner Katie Poppe have their
sights set on world domination. The restaurant, which opened in
September and already has two more locations in the works, has only six
items on the menu: fries, floats, soda and burgers, with or without
cheese or meat. There are no plates on the shiny red-and-white counter;
all orders are delivered in paper bags. The burgers cost $3.25, $3.75
with cheddar, Swiss, chevre or blue; fries are $2.75. They are very good
fries; crisp and sweet and adequately salted, with maybe just a tad too
much truffle flavoring. The burger is also very good, with a
quarter-pound patty of first-rate cow flesh, seasoned with restraint,
cooked medium and slathered with Camden’s own sriracha-spiked ketchup
(you can take a bottle home, if you like). The bun is sturdy but quite
small, leading some Yelpers to whine that the burger is an overpriced
slider. Don’t let yourself be fooled—I’d guess this is a 500-calorie
burger; eating two for lunch would be unwise.